Emergency exit means for aircraft



w. w. basonua EMERGENCY EXI T MEANS FOR AIRCRAFT Nov. 10, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1 1950 a a 3 B I r J enon m mm I P O n r bV 0 SN M. I O] O a 6 3m m 3 5 E r 4 3 3 3 3 .W B H m m a w m a F 2 9 'l u 0 :r mm H- I Is I- I 3 (I 2 2 2 3 4 v m. e

PATENT ATTORNEY.

NOV. 10, 1953 w, w, OBBQRNE 2,658,702

EMERGENCY EXIT MEANS FOR AIRCRAFT Filed May 1 1950 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 Fig. 9

Fig. 8 Wilbur W. Osborne INVENTOR.

IS PATENT ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 10, 195.;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Wilbur W. Osborne, Glen Rock, N. J., assignor to Curtiss-Wright Corporation, a corporation of Delaware App c t May 1950; se i N9: 15 9 10 Claims.

Th p esent hvehhhh lates n ra y o ai rafl; and 1 5? veh e e ari mo e hh t hii r t u chh exten ble mea s 19? Pr views 5? emer en ex t the the whim h other e t or aircraft e t er Vehi les- In aircraft, and. particularly large aircraft hr r hi cd with tr l t n l n in r te t l e h i fie hehil si-i d iii an .eh preciable distance above the ground while the airplane is at rest I t is euston ary disembarking and loading passengers iroin transport aircraft at regularly scheduled stops and fully equipped airports to provide a suitable landing stage of a portable type which is stored upon the grouncland moved up to the cabin door to permit the loading and unloading of passengers. Aircraft are occasignallv required to make landings, in some cases of (an emergency nature, at airports or at portions of a runway where such landing stagesare not readily available, and in such cases "it is desirablethat suitable emergency means he provided to permit egress of the passengers from the cabin with a'minimum of pielay. A number of emergency means have been aroposedand utilized for such contingencies and have not proven especially satisfactory for varibus reasons. The present invention is accordingly directed toan improvement-insuch emergency exit means.

The present invention consists essentially of a telescoping escape column or pole assembly which is supportedat the extremity of aswingable ,crane arm .or ibracket, both of which are normally stowed .in ia'netractable position within the ,exit .doorhof the aircraft cabin. The icrane bracket and telescoping pole member are preferably provided withsuitable winding drum or ree mea-hs hy.whmh-therolememb r an qu k y be lowered or extended to its operative contacthe po it n with th r und. and b means G which it ma th eth ras ed for st wa wi hin he cabin hh ia hh p e ent ihvehiihh is .hl infes d t h hwwd hi iihhhs .hih hhh i o h ie ne=h l m mbe h me o th isw ngeble hi'ah wh eb th hole el m nts are .positively extended by gravitational pull m nne whi h meshe e uh hhi hllw r qe esca mea fserelshs o th a i u F wh h th aimrai o h hehih 9 m h me hes upon the ground. LI tiurther -isiof a type which does not require thegirst personto leave theaircraft such as by jumpi hg and requiresnoassistance from a p'ersonfon the ground as in certain prior d 3 u rihe .si h eih lah th me vi i f u tab ihqsiti hrac n k mean w win 1 9 th dee :i be 'gmteihie hi h h open position and further link means which will loci; the crane bracketsin'abrdeterniined position in resp ect'to the'ope'ned door' The brese'nt invention also encompasses theprovision ofadjustablefriction means'to retard the extension of the polefelemen'ts' as theyfall into position due to gravitational pull and also includes a re tractableh'alndle'by means of which the drum may berota'td for retraction of the pole elements intothi'r stowed bositionwithin 'the door.

It is, accordingly, a 'p'rincirjal object' oi the present invention to provide a positive and'quick acting ilflfge ny exit means for alightihgfrom the cabins or' other plt ir'i'iionsof aircraft while at rest upon the'groundf Itis' a' f'urthe r object of this invention to provide an improvedtele scopic polelasseinbly which is quickly and posihvely e i hs o e h i eh h s t th h hih door opening and by means of which passengers o e p sonne i la shak 1 apid a h peditious exit from the cabin of the aircraft an me y ,Anqtherhhie hf t hventi'qh es in an imh hr d have t she iqh i a .em i hnh x mean wh is mall stowed within the confines of'an aircraft cabin doo a d whic l ar he .qui wu nto and el iqma cal loc d at it Operative pos A f r e object re de inv hei vi o o n imp oved s ension arra e a telewscqpine esshhe o e assembly" wh n res it extension alongla substantially vertical [axis ir- 'e h ct ve o the amuse a wh th a rc aft h it e P ih 999 11 b dh s w t aircraftlisuponthe ground." A still furth r ob- ,iect of ,the lpresent invention resides "in an proved cable drumjor reel means for the xten sion of the pole assembly Eat a predetefml ied lowerin ihfie' cori trolled adjustable .frict ion hm eh leh Whi hhhh p mit th h le to h hh ie and et h t ih h a s wah lh si whh nihehoo Dth q i eht and adv a s of th h h e invention w n occur .to ,thgselslrill'ed in ftheiart after readin the marine d cription when notion with the accompanying a partli redfl in whi'chz a i l eii "h i wk h ih rhlhh to which a forrn of the i in 'roved emerge iyfexit Insa e-has bfiennapp liedgtotheldoorlthereof;

i 3. 5 a L de ailed 9r 'ss-sect pi a1"viewbfwe exit means in its extended position and with th 9 P rt a l Phh i 3 isan elevationalview of thesan einits retracted pqs.1t pn as SiQwed within the ,aireijait door; i M

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the exit means and its supportingbracket in its operative position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail cross-section of one of the telescoping joints of the exit means;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the cable winding and release drum;

Fig. '7 is a cross-sectional view of the cable drum shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a detail cross-section of the sliding connection at one terminal of the bracket positioning link; and

Fig. 9 is a similar cross-sectional view of the terminal at the opposite end of the same link.

Referring now to Fig. l, the numeral Ii) represents an airplane provided with a tricycle type landing gear consisting of the main wheel units and higher tubular element 26 being limited in its relative axial movement with respect thereto by its upper treminal fitting 21b and the lower terminal fitting 26a of the element 26. In a similar manner, the still smaller diameter and lowermost tubular element 28 is adapted to axfially slide within the tubular element 21, being limited in its relative axial movement with respect thereto by its upper terminal fitting 28b and the lower terminal fitting 21a on the element 21. The tubular element 28 has fixedly attached to its lower terminal a flanged stop element 28a against which each ofthe lower terminal fittings 25a, 26a and 21a are adapted to abut to limit the telescopic or compacting movements of the 7 several tubular sections, as more particularly II and the nose wheel unit Ma. The air lane is provided with a cabin portion I2 provided with an outwardly swinging door I 3 for the door opening I4 and the door I3 is provided with the presently improved escape means including a telescoping escape pole I5 supported from the swinging bracket or crane assembly I6. The arrangement is preferably such that with the door I3 in an opened position as shown in Fig. 1, the extended pole assembly I5 is disposed in front of the door opening M in a position convenient for passengers to step from the cabin I2, grasp the pole I5 with both arms and legs and slide, without delay, down the pole to the ground.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the door I3 is hingedly mounted upon the fuselage in the airplane by means of the hinges I3a and is provided with a recess I3b within which the pole and supporting bracket assemblies I5 and It are adapted to be stowed when not in use. The door I3 is also preferably provided with a handle I30, which may be centrally located, for unlatching and latching the door.

The swinging bracket or crane assembly I6 is pivotally supported by the fittings I! and I8 mounted adjacent the hinged jamb of the door and within which is pivotally mounted the framework of the bracket assembly comprising the vertical member I9, the upper horizontal rail member 23 and the diagonal brace or bracket member 2I. The horizontal guide rail member is preferably of I-beam cross-section and is adapted to be folded back about the vertical axis of the pivot members I1 and I8 against a fixed guide member 22, which is preferably of hollow generally c-shape rectangular cross-section substantially symmetrical with the adjacent half of the member 20; The guide members 20 and 22 are provided with guide slots within which the terminals of the diagonal tie or strut 23 are adapted to slide into predetermined positions at which they may be locked into the apertures 20a and 22a, respectively, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

The pole assembly I5, as may be seen in Fig. 2, is suspended from a pivotally mounted yoke member 24 such that it is universally mounted upon the end of the crane member 20, and when shown in the stowed position in Fig. 3. In this figure, Which shows the tubular escape assembly I5 in its retracted and stowed position, it is retained within the recess I3b within the door by means of the pivotally attached latching or looking lever 29 which prevents inadvertent swinging of the assembly from its recess within the door. The floor of the recess I3b slopes inwardly of the cabin and downwardly as indicated at I3f in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 3, and in greater detail in Figs. 6 and 7, the extension and retraction of the telescoping pole assembly I5 is accomplished by extended may have its axis in a substantially vertical line. pivotally mounted adjacent the upper terminal of the upper and outer tubular element 25 within which the next lower and smaller diameter tubular element 26 is adapted to slidingly tele- The yoke suspension fitting 24 is ilarly, the smaller diameter tubular element 27 is adapted to telescopically slide within the larger the cable drum or reel assembly 30 to which is attached the flexible cable 3|, which in turn extends downwardly vertically through the openings in the nested tubular sections to the lower terminal fitting 28a to which it is attached by the cable terminal 3Ia. The cable is guided at its upper outer portion adjacent the yoke member 24 at the cable sheave 32, and the drum 33 of the drum assembly 30 is pivotally mounted upon the bracket 34 suspended from the horizontal beam element 20, to which it is attached by the screws 34a. The pivotal mounting of the drum 33 is accomplished by the conic pivot bolt 35 having a knurled head for manual adjustment and a threaded shank at 35a engaging the bracket element 34. Through the outer face of the drum 33 there is attached a folding handle 36 by means of the screws 31, the handle having a fixed portion attached to the drum 33, a laterally foldable arm portion 36a to the outer end of which is attached a radially foldable hand grip portion 361) which is foldable into a recess in the arm portion 36a. This permits the handle to be folded in the counterclockwise direction into a fiush position adjacent the thumb screw pivot 35 as shown in Fig. 6, such that in the retracted position of the pole assembly I5, the assembly can be lowered merely by unlatching the lever 29 and the assembly pulled or lifted forward out of its recess in the door by inserting p striking and injuring the hand of the operator.

On the other hand, when it is desired to crank up the drum to lift the telescoping sections for retraction within the door, the handle assembly 36 is unfolded and rotation of the handle and drum assembly 30, by gripping the handgrip 36b, in the clockwise direction accomplishes compacting or the. tubular: poles sections; of; the-asseim bly I51 for retraction within; the: door: In. construction linesainsEig. Bathe;extended;or-unfo1ded position of the: handle is' indicated; as; well; as thearcuatepaths: through which the: unfolded; handle is. extended. and: rotated: from. its full; line; retracted: position; as: well; as; the circular path of. thee outer end? of: the v handle: asit is: rotated; in! the clockwise direction about the axis of: the:

pivot-wafer retraction ontherpolerassembly t5;

In orden'thatsthe pole supponting assembly lr6-- be. extended; to": its: propen: position, and: be posi tively; retained in; that position, the." intermediate diagonalrstrut'on'brace provided with termi-: nal'. fittingsl and: 4H: which. are: adaptedi to be: guided withim the: elements and 22 respecrmay; The.- diagonali braces 23: for"; the 1 support member 202 isa provided with terminal; clevises 23aand 23b; tmtheefirsitofswhioh the?terminal fittingr 38 attached: bwthe pin 39 n The: support:

beam memben Zflraszshowmimlilign 4; isaprovided with: an detenti aperture: 20a: ion engagement n; by the=-fitting 38 adjacentzthe mnenstoprzo'bgm and: an touter;limit cstopiiaprovidedi at;2flo: l Withimthe; rail: 22, fixed? tou tha door I8; thee: fitting: 40: at? tached' to; the rbracerzfliand its terminal clev-is 23b by; the pin. M l is: adapted: to: engagez thedetent opening: 220: adjacent thezoutenstop' 2212, as also shown inzF'ig. 4; an'dfwhichflraiifl2:is1also provided: withanlinnenlimitrstopmbzi attacheditoithefit ting- 318 is. a leafitypezspring: 38a=forcontinua1ly urging the fitting alitdownwardly into. its engage ing conditiom'with the' detentlopeningi 210w and: a similar? spring llliwis attached to thesupper por tion of theguided fittingr 411 for urging: the l same into l engagements with: the hole 22a in the guide ramm- Aocordingly; to f'old thefrail lniinto the (icon I Sifagainsttthe fixedfrail 22, the terminal :fit-

ting: 3 mwithin :th'a railisZ Us is lifted slightly, against theeoppositionzofithe springe3kaw intothez osition. shown: in Riga. 85-. in, which" its detentilportion m is removed: fromthe opening: 20w andi the fitting thentis vcausedlt'olslidexoutwardly within the-guide portion of z'the-railii m towa-Idi the (stop 2110 as the rail: 20: is rotated tin thfl counterclockwise direc+- tiomaboutsthe; vertical pivotaxis of itshingexstrut: 19c Gnce the fittingimstarts touslidezalong the guide 1 portion Hbeyond'ithe" hole. 21m, the opposite" endiofzthe :brace 2c3zmayibedifted fromzits position,

as shown? inaEig. 9} againstizthe; opposition of" the spring loa and-:this1terminal of theibracezamoves toward Ethos hinge; end. on; storm 2b; of; the; rail 2 2 until: the; brace: 23. becomes: nested within: the guides portions oflsthesrails Mir-and: 2.2. and; the

rails; =are'- caused to he adjacent: each-other;

Asashown: Fi .3,mthe door I3ois: pref erably provided with; a centrally; disposed handle I 30. bwmeansiofqwhich titnmayibepmovedwto. its open andlclosed positions and :rotated -for; latching; thedoor infl-thepclosed position; The door l3wis also provided; with" a;l1ink;,42.&which1 istpivotally con-v nested torthe-doorzby theqfitting: l 3d and the link fliis preferably slidably attachedato therfnselage: structure-in;suchzmannerzasito-ulimitpthe;.position to-=whichuthe ndoor. l3amayrbeaswung outwardly, and also to retain the door at that position-.2.

The improved exit means: described above may preferably l be A operated as l follows a Let us as--- shmmthat with the door" I closed and mlatched and-the emergency-exit-meam-- I Eand l 6 in its stowed=- position-within-the door; itzis desired'to extend the pole-= assembly I5 into'-its' operative position fon emergenoy exit'or egreesfrom a the fuselage --cabin- [2. The door '-may initially beunlatched by rotation of the handle 13c and the 1 l door pushed outwardly position, while the pole retaining latch 21 released and dropped. into its unlocking position.- With the door-held ina partially opened position the operator may pass his handinto the recess 3c and. pull the pole assembly towardlhimout'. of its recess. l 3b=in the door" suchlthat the.- weight oil the several-sections causethem toslidingly extend; until the lower'stopwfitting. 28'a.reaches. and rests. uponthe: ground. Inpulling: the pole assembl'y' I5.- towardithaoperator-l in thepartially. openedlpo'siftion ofthe door, the: pole now passes cl'osel'y front of the door opening l4 and adiacentlthesill'. of the'door opening. i

Inorder to.-insure that the sevenallsectionslunefold orextend, it-may be necessary to releasethe frictional pressure by, backing offl the thumb! screw 35 on the winding drum Alternativelfy, ina the event the.- severaltelescoping sections. may bind and the lower elements: fails to extend fiilhzl to the ground,v the; first person to Y slide down-the, pole assembly'may cause thelower sectionto becomerfully extendedl wheno hisl body or his feetmake contact with the lower fitting, 28ktandialli or a portionlof-ihis-weight is'applied to this fittingandttothe lower section-Z81 Beiiorethepole is used; however; itiis-vdesirablel that aften it has reached the ground, theldoorl isfi'rst. pushedout wardlyintoits position l ofpredetermined; open-- ing'. This can be accomplished lby, pushing. upon the-brace 23 such that-itsterminabfitting, 4 0 is. causedto move alongtheiguide rail 2l2raway =from.- the'hinge axislQ ltowarditheirail stop-22c atvwhich, the fitting 404s causedaby l the springtAIDateen gage the detent opening; 22a and totanchor-t-he outer end ofthe bracePZE, Suchxa lforcel applied to the brace 23r willlcauseithe door to 'movaout wardly due to thelreaction-oflthe other terminaL of: the: brace. against the. support" beammemben 2i! and the pole assembly lfil-whichl may have-fitslower end in contact with the ground-andz-lmay additionally bedisposedragainst the side of the airplane; both l of which conditions tend to. op posemovementof l the bracetowardlthe airplane and-cause'it to push the door" I 3ioutwardlya With the brace terminal-l lMatchediinto the detent opening 22afurther outwardmovement of. then-door causes ithelter-minalifittinge 3h attthel ope positeend of the brace Rite-move: alongt itsguid rail Within the support-member 2a toward. the hinge axis: l9l-andzwtowardl the-rai1- stopdflbrat which the terminal-fitting, 31-h engages the de= tentxopening 20a. When-.thefitting 3&engages. the stop 2% and latches into theropening, 20a;- continued:outward movement of thedo-or causes the l-brace- -23-lto pull the polelandlsupporting aslsembly lfiroutwardiy with the door: inasmuch as the frame formed by=:the-members:2 22 and'23lis now rigid 1 and l moves 1- as: a. unit. This-pullingr of. the support member 20ibmtheroutwardly'movina door also causes-the:pole-assemb1y1= l 5lto be: moved; outwardly away from:the=sill of. the oloor: open, ing in the fuselagewto a predeterminedwposition away from the fuselageatl which lthomovernentiof'v the door is arrested and retained by theilinkieh between the: fiiselegeastructure; and: the: door structure at the pivotal 311m This: position: ofa the: polel assembl-y l5awil-llbezsufiioient :forra person: to reach the poleiiromathe door openingnconvenient; 1y withoutz extending; arms onbodwto'o :lfary from the doorsill and; aftengraspingi; the :pole with hisarms and legs ;1 torslidacomfortablyodown therpoleewith-ladequateoclearancelfondnsebodyias: he movessdownwardlyapastithendoorzsihito safety upon the ground.

into a partiallyopened.

aezssnqe 7 When it is desired that the pole assembly be retracted and be stored within the door, the

reverse of the foregoing operation is followed' Assuming that the operator is within the aircraft cabin and he desires to store the exit means within the door and to close the door, he will first unfold the handle on the winding drum assembly 30 and wind up the drum such that all of the sections of the pole assembly are telescoped into their compacted position. The door may then be partially closed and the terminal fitting 38 lifted against the spring 38c and the end of the brace moved along the guide rail 20 such that closing movement of the door may be continued. When the door has been closed through a further angle,the terminal fitting 40 may be lifted from its detent opening and the brace 23 guided toward its terminal stop 22b in the rail 22. Continued closing movement of the door may then be accomplished and as the door is latched into its closed position, the beam 20 becomes positioned closely alongside the beam 22 and the pole assembly I is positioned in the recess [31) in the door, into which it may be latched by the lever 29.

It will be apparent that the preferred form described and shown is for illustrative purposes only and not by way of limitation, but may be modified extensively to suit varying conditions. The length and number of tubes required will depend largely upon the available space for stowage in the door as well as the distance from the attaching point to the ground and the tube assembly may be attached to hatches and other forms of closures than the door illustrated.

Other forms and modifications of the present invention, which will occur to those skilled in the art after reading the foregoing description, are intended to come within the scope and spirit of this invention as more particularly set forth said escape pole assembly arranged to move said assembly from a retracted position within said door to an extended position away from said door and across said fuselage opening for emergency exit therefrom, and strut means connecting said door to said support means for retaining said escape pole assembly in a predetermined operative position.

2. In aircraft, a fuselage having an opening in a vertical wall portion thereof, a closure movably supported at an edge of said opening for movement about a vertical axis, telescoping escape means supported from said closure, swingable support means carried by said closure for supporting said escape means from said closure and manually operated hoisting and lowering means for telescopically retracting and extending said escape means for egress from said fuselage opening.

3. In aircraft, a fuselage having an opening, a closure movably supported at an edge of said opening, telescoping escape means suspended gravitationally from said closure, swingable sup-' port means for supporting said escape means from said closure, manually operated hoisting and loweringmeans mounted upon said closure for telescopically retracting and extending said escape means for egress from said fuselage opening, and strut means interconnecting said closure with said fuselagefor retaining said closure in a predetermined operative opened position;

4. In aircraft, a fuselage having an opening in a vertical wall thereof, a vertical closure movably supported at an edge of said opening, telescoping escape means said escape means from said closure, manually operated hoisting and lowering means pivotally retaining said escape means in a predeterminedoperative position with respect to said closure.

5. In aircraft, a fuselage having an opening, a closure movably supported at an edge of said opening, escape means pivotally suspended from said closure, swingable support means for supporting said escape means from said closure, manually operated hoisting and lowering means for retracting and extending said escape means for egress from said fuselage opening, means interconnecting said closure with said fuselage for retaining said closure in a predetermined operative opened position, further means interconnecting said closure and said support means for retaining said escape means in a predetermined operative position with respect to said closure, and frictional pivot means associated with said hoisting and lowering means for retarding the gravitational lowering of said emergency exit means from said support means.

6. An exit arrangement comprising a compart-' closure pivotally mounted upon said wall adj acent' said opening, supporting bracket means pivotally mounted upon said closure, strut means connecting said closure with said wall for maintaining said closure in a predetermined position, further strut means connecting said supporting bracket means with said closure for maintain-. mg said supporting bracket means in a predetermined position, and longitudinally extensible exit means supported from said supporting bracket means for facilitating the exit of an occupant from the compartment through said opening.

7. An emergency eXit arrangement for a compartment having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure pivotally mounted adjacent the edges of said wall opening, supporting means pivotally mounted upon said closure, strut means connectmg said closure with said wall for maintaining said closure in an operative position, further strut means connecting said supporting means with said closure for maintaining said supportmg means in a predetermined operative position w1th respect to said closure in said operative position, and longitudinally extensible exit means including a plurality of telescopic tubular elements supported from said supporting means for facilitating the exit of an occupant through said opening.

An exit arrangement for a compartment having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure pivotally mounted adjacent an edge of said wall opening for movement between open and closed positions, supporting. bracket means pivotally mounted upon said closure for movement between operative and retracted positions, strut means connecting said closure with said wall for suspended from said. closure, swingable support means for supporting maintaining said closure in an open operative position, rotatable lowering means operatively associated with said closure and said supporting bracket means, further strut means connecting said supporting bracket means with said closure for maintaining said supporting bracket means in a predetermined operative position and extensible tubular exit means suspended from said lowering means and said supporting bracket means for facilitating the lowering of said exit means for the egress of an occupant from said compartment through said opening.

9. An emergency exit arrangement for a compartment having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure pivotally mounted adjacent an edge of said wall opening for movement between open and closed positions, supporting bracket means pivotally mounted upon said closure for movement between operative and retracted positions, strut means connecting said closure with said wall for maintaining said closure in an open operative position, rotatable lowering means operatively associated with said closure and said supporting bracket means, manually adjustable friction means associated with said rotatable lowering means for controlling said lowering means, further strut means connecting said supporting bracket means with said closure for maintaining said supporting bracket means in a predetermined operative position and extensible tubular exit means pivotally suspended from said lowering means and said supporting bracket means for facilitating the lowering of said exit means for the egress of an occupant from said compartment through said opening.

10. The combination with an aircraft fuselage having an opening in a substantially vertical said wall thereof, a door movably mounted upon said fuselage upon a substantially vertically disposed hinge axis arranged to serve as a closure for said opening, and bracket means swingably mounted on said door for movement between operative and inoperative positions with respect to said door, of emergency exit means including a plurality of telescoping tubular elements suspended from said bracket means, said telescoping tubular elements extensible by gravity from their support upon said bracket means and said door in the operative and opened position.

WILB-UR W. OSBORNE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

